Defibrillators Being Installed in most Campus Buildings

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Automatic External Defibrillator unit

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Boxes labeled “AED” have been appearing in University of Arkansas buildings over the past month, and they are potentially life-savers. AED stands for Automatic External Defibrillators. The devices stored in the boxes are an assurance that if a heart stops beating life-saving treatment is just moments away.

“Defibrillators have been available in University Police vehicles and at a few critical locations on campus for several years, but we wanted to do more,” said Mike Johnson, associate vice provost for facilities. “It’s our goal to keep students, faculty, staff and visitors at the University of Arkansas as safe and protected as possible. AED’s are proven to save the lives of cardiac arrest victims, and we’re pleased to add this additional life saving ability to our campus.” 

If a person in a campus building suffers cardiac arrest a defibrillator can be used to get the heart beating again. In the case of someone in the first stages of a heart attack, the equipment can be used to record vital information from the time it is first connected all the way to the emergency room and attending doctors, providing information the doctors need to treat their patient effectively.

A total of 103 AEDs are being installed in 64 buildings on campus. University officials made sure the devices were completely compatible with those used by the Fayetteville Fire Department and Central Emergency Medical Services before purchasing them. Each unit cost about $1,700, plus installation costs. The last of the devices are expected to be in place this week.

The new AED’s are being installed in strategic locations in each building, and are housed inside an alarmed cabinet with adequate signage to help people quickly locate each AED. The alarm is designed to alert people in the building that an AED has been removed from its cabinet. Each defibrillator unit has step-by-step voice instructions for the first-time user, but the university is also providing training to the people in each building who are most likely to be involved in assisting victims. Training information for the AED’s has also been posted to the university’s Environmental Health and Safety website, under, emergency procedures, and then defibrillator procedures.